


Us

by yeaka



Category: Imposters (TV)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Multi, Spoilers, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-11 00:33:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20537228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeaka/pseuds/yeaka
Summary: A moment on the run.





	Us

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I tagged spoilers because this is set at the start of season 2. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Imposters or any of its contents, and I’m not making any money off this.

“Is it just me, or is this whole country literally on fire?”

“It’s just you,” Jules mutters, which has Ezra rolling his head to the side and giving her the stink eye. She doesn’t turn to look at him, but she can see it in her peripherals, and all she needs is a quick glimpse of either of her boys to form the whole picture in her head; she already feels like she knows them better than she ever knew her own family. In some ways, her boys know her better. Staring up at the misshapen off-white ceiling of their crammed hideout, she benevolently adds, “It is hot here, but... maybe more like a low simmer.”

“It’s on fire,” Ezra insists. “We’re going to die.”

“You’ll get used to it.” She’s already starting to like it. Art classes are fun. The people are fun. She likes the language. She likes coming home to her boys like they’re some kind of whole new family all on their own—it just sucks when they start pulling the day’s stolen goods out of their pockets. But they’ve got a nest egg lined up—if they can ever get back to it—and they’ll crawl out of their pit someday.

Ezra stubbornly repeats, “I’m dying.” Jules doesn’t have the heart to ask if he’d rather go back home and sit in a nice, cushy, American jail cell, so instead she just leaves the statement hanging.

The low background noise of water rushing through battered pipes abruptly cuts off. Neither of them move off the bed. Sprawled out on the queen-sized mattress never meant to hold three adults, they lie in the smoldering evening air until the bathroom door creaks open. Richard wanders in wearing nothing but a towel draped around his waist and a few lingering water droplets clinging to his chiseled chest. In the fading light from their open window, he looks like an athletic model straight off a swimsuit ad. If Jules was into men, she’d probably be salivating.

But she’s not, so instead she just enjoys the aesthetically pleasing view in a purely artistic sense. Her boys can be dumb, but they’re beautiful. While he fishes through the old set of drawers they’ve all got their cheap tourist clothes stuffed into, she asks, “Is there any hot water left?”

“You really want it hot?” Ezra asks. Before she can answer, Richard drops his towel, and Ezra childishly groans, “Aw, really, dude?”

Jules whistles just to tease Ezra. Richard grins wide at the attention, his face lighting up adorably like it does any time someone points out how hot he is. Ezra pushes, “Change in the bathroom!”

“Jules doesn’t mind,” Richard counters.

“She’s just making fun of you—she’s not even into guys.”

Richard snorts. “C’mon, everyone’s at least _a little_ into me.”

The grin’s infectious. Jules is wearing one too when she rolls her head to the other side of the pillow in time to catch Ezra rolling his eyes. She can hear the rustle of clothing as Richard fumbles his way into a loose pair of tropical-pattern pajama pants. Then he’s hiking one knee up on the bed and climbing over Jules, settling on Ezra’s other side. At first, they used to take turns on the foldout couch, but now they’re too tired or lazy or maybe just familiar to bother. Jules shuffles closer to the edge of the bed to make room, but Ezra remains where he is. Maybe because Richard’s still clearly preening, Ezra adds, “_I’m_ not even remotely into you.”

Richard prods, “Really? It never crossed your mind?”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Richard leans down over Ezra, and when Ezra doesn’t flinch, he lands one hand on either side of Ezra’s chest, hovering scant centimeters from his face. “Hey, maybe you didn’t _actively_ think about it, but what about when it was just the two of us, and we were both freshly heartbroken and lonely, and living together with nothing... I mean, if something did just _happen_, like, a quick, no-strings thing one night, when we’d had a few too many...”

Ezra, rather conspicuously, doesn’t say anything. Jules can’t help herself and goads Richard on, whispering pointedly, “_Do it, do it!_”

Ezra squirms his arm around Richard and playfully punches her. She chuckles, but in that split second of distraction, Richard takes his chance. He leans down and tilts his head aside, planting his lips firmly on Ezra’s. Ezra’s squawk of surprise is muffled by Richard’s mouth. Jules holds her breath, not daring to laugh just yet, because Ezra’s not laughing. And he doesn’t push Richard away. His hands come up to Richard’s shoulders but just sort of float there. He hesitates while Richard nuzzles against him, and when Richard does pull back, Ezra’s eyes are half-lidded. 

Richard smiles triumphantly and proclaims, without breaking Ezra’s eye contact, “See, I’m good. Want one, Jules?”

She finally lets out her laugh. “Nah, but I’ll watch.”

That jolts Ezra back to life. He mutters, “Nope, nope,” and pushes Richard off him, clambering off the bed. 

Richard plops down in the space Ezra left behind and reminds him, “Hey, weren’t you just saying this morning you need to get laid?”

On his way to the door, Ezra throws over his shoulder, “I meant with a girl!”

Richard calls after him, “Don’t be so close-minded!”

Ezra turns in the doorway to give them the middle finger, then disappears, probably to go crash on the couch. It’ll mean more space to stretch out in the night, but weirdly, the bed already feels emptier without him. 

Richard turns his waggling eyebrows to Jules. He tries, “You know...”

She laughs, “Shut up.” But she lets him spoon her from behind, even though his skin’s baking, because it feels good to be loved. Maddie took their money, their homes, their passports, but at least they got their hearts back. 

This time, Jules invests it right.


End file.
